At night, Gale gathered the group of three children who had stayed at his home. He guided them along the route he had prepared, and due to the location where they lived, it was easy to leave without anyone noticing.
There were soldiers on guard outside, but they were all slacking off, and none of them were paying attention.
Under the cover of night, Gale easily led them away from the border and took out a map.
The destination was the largest city in the surrounding area, EHRMICH.
Only large cities have black markets, and EHRMICH was not far from this refugee settlement.
To deal with possible unrest caused by refugees, most settlements are built on the outskirts of large cities, with legions of soldiers stationed there.
This also makes it easier to provide support to refugees in the early stages and to select some qualified refugees to work in the city as cheap labor.
After about an hour and a half of walking, Gale saw streets and houses made of stone.
Settlements within the walls rarely have walls or moats of their own.
A fifty-meter wall is the best option for a city. The central government controls all political power within the fortress, so there is no need for walls.
Those who wish to rebel need to build walls to defend themselves, so walls are only built in certain important places permitted by the government.
The city of EHRMICH was not that kind of place.
Gale and his group slipped into the town through a side road. It was the first time Gale had visited EHRMICH, and a tavern was a good place to gather information. If they wanted to find the location of the black market, that was the right place.
In a stone alley, Gale found a lively tavern.
After figuring out exactly where he needed to go, Gale turned around and said, "Wait for me on the other side of the bridge. I'll come back once I have good news."
"I want to go too!" Eren felt like he was being left behind, so he offered to accompany Gale.
"We're children. Too many people would draw attention." Gale wanted to take advantage of these people's carelessness, but he wasn't an idiot. "Don't cause trouble at a time like this. Didn't we agree that you have to listen to me?"
Gale ignored Eren and walked toward the tavern alone.
Eren clenched his fist, but there was nothing he could do. Armin and Mikasa led him to the other side of the arched bridge to wait.
Gale nodded at them from a distance, then pushed open the door and entered the noisy tavern. He walked up to the counter, took a silver coin from his pocket, placed it on the table, and said, "Boss, a gentleman just asked me to come in and ask where the nearest market is."
"A gentleman?" The tavern owner picked up the silver coin and rubbed it. "Kid, what kind of person is that man?"
"He said he's a soldier in charge of escorting refugees and wanted to have a little fun."
"Is that so…?" The tavern owner had heard that a group of refugees had arrived during the day, probably escorted by soldiers.
It was no secret that soldiers often visited the black market for pleasure. There, the women were all well trained, offered more services and options, and could satisfy certain special fetishes. In addition, the largest casino in the city was located there.
"He gave me a silver coin right away; he's a generous guy." Gale acted shy.
The tavern owner thought for a moment, opened a drawer, took out a wooden token, and placed it in Gale's hand. "Kid, give this token to that gentleman and tell him to go to Diagon Alley and find a woman who sells alcohol, and say that Old Jack sent him."
"Alright." Gale accepted the token, but did not leave. He continued to watch the tavern owner.
The shopkeeper gave Gale two copper coins to get rid of him; asking for a tip was normal. He had taken a silver coin, so he had already made a profit.
He was slightly puzzled that the soldier had not entered himself, but Gale's behavior showed that he was a crafty little devil.
He assumed that Gale had probably struck up a conversation with the soldier and received advice from both sides. He no longer had any doubts and treated it as a trivial matter in his daily life.
Gale left the tavern and reunited with Eren and the other two.
"So, did you find out?" Armin asked, sounding slightly nervous.
"Of course. Now we need to go to Diagon Alley." Gale took out the wooden token in his hand and said, "Once we reach the black market, no matter what happens, don't speak, don't panic, and stay behind me."
…
In Diagon Alley, Gale found a cellar where lamp oil was still burning at night.
A woman with a headscarf stood guard there. Gale told Eren and the other two to cover their faces and put on the cloaks they had made from old cloth during the day.
They met no resistance when entering the market. The woman took the coins, gave Gale a wooden sign, and led them from the cellar down into the basement.
It was a spacious underground area where some drunken men were embracing scantily clad women, and gunpowder and weapons were being sold at stalls.
Buying weapons through legitimate channels requires various inspections, but in the black market they can be bought simply with money.
In fact, some of the weapons here were supplied by the military corps. To earn more money, they had set up stalls in the black market.
The main businesses here were weapons, casinos, and women. You could even buy three-dimensional maneuvering equipment. With enough money, you could satisfy almost any desire in the black market.
Of course, money alone was not enough; you also needed the power and strength to intimidate others.
The four, dressed in cloaks, moved through the black market. Although their bodies were not yet fully developed, as long as they did not speak or show their faces, no one would mistake them for children.
Even so, the three except Gale felt extremely nervous.
Armin, in particular, was trembling, feeling that if they were discovered, they would die there.
Eren and Mikasa also struggled to maintain their composure. There were many armed people openly displaying their weapons to tell others, "Don't mess with me."
Although they had witnessed hellish scenes, in the end they were only a group of children who had lost their parents. Although they pretended to be strong, in reality they had not had time to grow stronger because of the fear of that day.
Only Gale walked calmly at the front, guiding them, while they could only follow behind him.
Gale found a weapons dealer selling three-dimensional maneuvering equipment. They had powerful backers and did not lower themselves to the small profits of gunpowder.
Gale took the powdered wheat grains from his pocket and spoke to the merchant guarding the stall. "Sir, my master would like to see your goods."
"Kid, how did you sneak in?" The merchant frowned. "This is not a place for children. We don't accept things from children."
"You should know that a group of refugees arrived nearby yesterday." Gale showed the flintlock pistol at his waist. "At the border, a gentleman wants to send a shipment and would like to take a look at your products first."
The merchant fell silent and exchanged glances with the armed guards standing on either side.
The atmosphere grew tense for a moment, and the three behind Gale were on edge.
The merchant watched Gale in silence.
Although the boy looked very small, he seemed familiar with the black market and showed no signs of panic. He must have been a veteran.
The pistol at his waist was a standard firearm used by the military police, which led the merchant to deduce that Gale had been sent by a superior officer.
Of course, Gale deliberately made his weapon visible so that he would not be taken lightly. What child would carry a weapon these days? What child would have silver and gold coins with the current crisis?
Gale was using reverse psychology on adults, making them believe that there was a man behind his actions. This was a method he had used before, and it had worked quite well.